Is it advisable to carry your own blanket while travelling on airconditioned coaches of Indian trains? Are the linen and blanket supplied to passengers in AC coaches of trains hygienic to use? While you snugly sleep in the comfort of a blanket on overnight trains, are you risking your health?
No empty scary rhetoric, these questions have become pertinent, especially after a recent RTI query by The New Indian Express has revealed that Indian Railways washes its blankets once a month, or at the most twice. The extent of booking of Indian trains is so high that almost all coaches run to full capacity on every journey.
Only one wash a month!!!
Therefore, even on the most optimistic count, each blanket is used at least by 15 passengers before it gets a single wash. In case they are washed once a month, about 30 passengers have used the same blanket before it goes to the washerman.
The wash is administered depending on the logistics and capacity at hand, the report has revealed. The pillow covers and linen, don’t seem to provide such a scare since they appear crisp and washed when they are handed to the passenger at the beginning of the journey.
Train attendants confirm situation
The TNIE report spoke to a number of train attendants who confirmed the frequency of wash. Exceptions are made to undertake frequent wash only if blankets emit stench or exhibit glaring stains.
“After each trip, the bedsheets and pillow covers are sent to the laundry, but the blankets are folded and stored in the coach unless they are noticeably dirty or smelly,” the newspaper quoted an attendant of the railways.
Imperils a large number of passenger
The hygiene issue can concern a huge number of passengers. In 2023-24, Indian Railways carried as many as 673 crore passengers and the number of those optioing for AC coaches is rising.
By the way, the passengers have to pay for the use of bed linen and blankets and the cost in built into the fare of the journey. This is the norm for all AC trains. However, for some trains such as Duronto and Garib Rath, passengers can pay extra to buy a bedroll pack.
Rishu Gupta, section officer of Environment and Housekeeping Management (EnHM) at the Ministry of Railways provided the information furnished by the RTI.
